Purposeful Celebration vv.3-5

-Celebrate His mercy When we focus on our sinful condition and realize that Christ has paid the price for our soul, wow, you can’t help but celebrate!

-Celebrate the Cause of Salvation

-Celebrate Our Living Hope. Peter used the word living all throughout 1 Peter. Hope rose up with Christ from the dead, though the disciples were slow at first to believe it. Do you celebrate a living, active, life-transforming hope? Have you had an encounter with Jesus that affirms you have a living hope? The opposite of life is death. Death only happens to those who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ! If you are in Christ, you are alive, if in physical death. Why? Because of the resurrection. A product of Christianity is the celebration of that! 

-Celebrate Our Inheritance

-Celebrate God’s Power to Guard Our Faith the Greek word here for guarded is a continual action that doesn’t stop. You may think, doubt, even try to disappoint God, but if you’re truly in Christ, you will wake up tomorrow in Christ. You will by the power of the Holy Spirit have a strong desire to repent. Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

Perseverance During Calamity vv.6-7

You really find out where your hope rest when trials come. Maybe the only benefit to storms, as Peter mentions in these passages, are to see that your faith is solid in Christ, and is not manmade.

James mentions this in James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Peaceful Confidence vv.8-9

v.8- love and trust are the two needed ingredients of a great relationship. If you love Christ and trust Him for eternity, you are fine! Peter is telling the people of these churches that are undergoing persecution that they can be confident in Christ even it cost them their life. Paul knew this type of confidence. Listen to Philippians 1:12-14 “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

v.9- obtaining- present tense, that you are presenting receiving the products and joys of your salvation

Why do we share Christ with others? Because we are confident that He saves, heals, and sustains. We have a peaceful confidence. Even though I cannot see Him, the Holy Spirit within me gives assurance that He is alive and active! If you do not know this confidence, you do not know Christ! I plead with you to plead to God for salvation. If He’s changed you, you will not be silent about it.  

Application:

If you’re not joyous of what Christ has done for you, you’re not saved! Don’t get caught up into what is and is not happening, get your life in Christ right today!